NeXT Inc.

After being fired
by Apple, Steve Jobs started NeXT Computer in 1985 and released an alternative
to the Mac and Windows-based PCs -- the NeXT workstation. Tim Berners Lee used
a NeXT computer to create the first Web browser and server. After failing to
sell many computers, NeXT focused on selling its operating system software,
called NeXTStep. The software attracted the attention of Apple, which bought
NeXT in 1996 for $429 million – a move that paved the way for Steve Jobs return
as Apple’s leader.